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Category: Politics

Technically, a foreign entity is prohibited from making contributions to political campaigns. This is a difficult rule to enforce, and when it occurs nobody knows quite what to do. This situation is additionally affected by the lax campaign finance laws in the country. Lawmakers and right-wing lobbyists have conspired to dismantle laws placing limits on contributions made to political campaigns. This has led to ultra-wealthy individuals having a say in the political process, and it is possible some are not American citizens.

The political gridlock and legal loopholes in government prevent knowing the exact amount of foreign money used in 2016. What is known is the Russians were not the only foreign donors. Donations of $1.3 million came from Chinese nationals through American Pacific International Capital. Super PAC donations were made by a shell corporation for a wealthy Mexican entrepreneur. Fifteen cases of illegal campaign spending by foreigners were being investigated when 2017 began.

The cause was the case of Citizens United v. the U.S. Federal Election Commission in 2010. The Supreme Court’s decision was dangerous because it classified political donations in the category of speech. Now the constitution protects unlimited political donations from advocacy groups, labor unions, and corporations. Political donors expect their investments to provide a return. When these donations are not limited, politicians can be bribed. Making it past the primary without major financial backing has become an impossibility.

Democrats have proposed numerous measures to stop unlimited political spending. They are backing End Citizens United, a political action committee founded to counter the influence of corporate and foreign funds. Their website states their donations support the champions of campaign-finance reform. With an average contribution of only $12, the $4 million collected in 2017 was impressive. Currently, fighting against the mega-rich donors means outspending them. This is the reason institutional change has become critical. It is not possible to stop the foreign donors from having an influence in the elections, but it is possible to prevent them from achieving success.

Today’s democracy has become more fragile than it has ever been in the past. This is because of the money influencing politics. Once politicians attempt to rig the system, their example being emulated by outsiders should not come as a surprise. End Citizens United is trying to place a limit on the amount of funding allowed in United States elections. They are a nonprofit organization, and were founded because of the aftermath resulting from the controversial decision made by the Supreme Court in 2010. End Citizens United does not believe political candidates should receive unlimited donations. For this reason, they are fighting for the Democrats and campaign finance reform. They are bringing the attention of the public to the corruption and dark money now present in politics to restore the democracy’s integrity.

George Soros met with members of the Libre Foundation to discuss how to keep Republican front-runner Donald Trump from winning the presidential race. Leaders of the foundation and the politically involved Democratic billionaire believe that bringing out more Latino voters is the best way to stop Trump’s political juggernaut. The Republican candidate has expressed support for building a wall along the United States-Mexico border and forcing the developing country to pay for the wall’s construction. Mexican immigrants, as well as many other Hispanics oppose this plan. The Libre Foundation plans to use Soros’s $15 million donation to help start a campaign to drive voter turnout.

As the primary season winds down, Soros believes that Hillary Clinton has the best chance of defeating Trump, even though it is not certain that the former United States Secretary of State will win the popular vote.. He gave several million dollars to the campaign earlier this year hoping he could avert a financial crisis. Soros’s decision to influence this year’s political election is a marked change from the past eight years George Soros decided to remain out of politics after failing to influence the 2004 election. Despite Soros donating millions of dollars on the Kerry campaign, George W. Bush won a second term.

The Libre foundation’s campaign will not start until the primary season ends, which should be later in May. Kasich and Cruz dropped out of the race recently, leaving only Donald Trump remaining. Pundits still believe that the Republican nomination may be contested at the convention this year.